This invention relates to fluid applicator devices and, in particular, to a fluid applicator device for use with viscous fluids which is provided with an angled ball tip enabling the applicator to be held at an angle of 45.degree. with the contact surface.
Fluid applicator devices having reservoirs and capable of being held in the hand have been used for making decorative surfaces and in particular applicators using ball point tips, felt marker tips and other types of applicator tips have been utilized in conjunction with flexible and rigid fluid reservoirs which reservoirs also serve as a grip or handle. The use of such applicators generally requires that the applicator be held in an upright or vertical position to the surface onto which the paint or viscous fluid is to be dispensed. Since the applicator tip is required to be positioned upright or vertical when placed against the surface to be coated, it is difficult for the user thereof to maintain the applicator in this position for any length of time.
In conventional ball point pens, it is not necessary to have the ball spring-loaded as the fluids used with them are substantially non-viscous. In order to dispense liquids through a ball tip where the liquids are viscous, a different mechanical configuration is required to mount the ball. The present configurations used for non-viscous fluids are inoperative when used with viscous liquids. The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by allowing the ball to be pressed back into its housing when the applicator is in use, thus allowing the liquid to flow around the ball. Releasing the applicator from the surface permits the surface permits the ball to spring forward thus closing off the flow of the viscous liquid. Moreover, the present invention discloses an apparatus for utilizing a freely rotatable ball which is spring loaded and permits the applicator to be used at an angle between 30.degree. and 50.degree. from the surface upon which the viscous field is to be applied.
The closest prior art of which I am aware is the patent to Wood, U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,660, issued on Jan. 12, 1971. The Wood patent attempts to overcome the problem of operation at angles other than 90.degree. by providing a connector tip which has two major connecting components which may rotate relative to each other as much as 360.degree.. Thus, the reservoir may be rotated with respect to the actual writing tip as desired by the user thereof. This approach, although accomplishing the object of maintaining the reservoir at an angle other than 90.degree. to the writing surface, requires a multitude of components and is expensive to fabricate.
The patent to Faltin, U.S. Pat. No. 2,592,406, issued Apr. 8, 1952, relates to the use of a ball point in conjunction with a rigid reservoir such as found in a fountain pen of the conventional ball point type. This disclosure uses a swaging process whereby the freely rotatable ball is retained in its seat for operation. Although the patent to Faltin is angularly positioned with respect to the longitudinal axis of the point, the ball is not spring-loaded and is unable to be used with viscous liquids.
The present invention overcomes all the shortcomings found in the prior art and provides a springloaded ball point tip usable with viscous liquids and permits the applicator to be held at an angle of between 30.degree. and 50.degree. to the surface on which the viscous liquid is to be dispensed.